1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an in-car electronic device provided with an anti-theft feature that protects the device from a thief by moving a movable member provided with a display member and/or a control member from a regular position, where the device is out of its casing for viewing or accessible to a user, to a retracted position where the device is accommodated in the casing.
2. Description of the Related Art
An in-car electronic device, such as an audio system or car navigation system, is housed in a casing of a 1DIN size or the like and embedded in a dashboard or an instrument panel in a passenger compartment of a car. A face provided on the front of the casing is set so that it is substantially flush with the dashboard, the instrument panel, etc. Control members provided on a surface of the face are used to control electronic circuits and a variety of recording medium drive units in the casing.
There has been a detachable face to protect the foregoing type of in-car electronic device from being removed and stolen from a car while the car is parked. In this detachable face type, only the face can be detached and taken out of the car to disable the operation of the in-car electronic device left in the car, thereby protecting the device from theft.
There is another structure in which a face provided on a front face of a casing is reversed so that a control panel faces toward the casing while parking or the like. This is to make it look as if no in-car electronic device were installed in the car by reversing the face.
However, in the structure wherein the face is detached from the casing and carried out of a car, there is a danger in that the face that has been carried out is lost or the face is left at home when it should be brought back in the car. As a result, the in-car electronic device cannot be operated.
Furthermore, frequently repeated attaching and detaching of the face wears contacts provided between the face and the casing, leading to a possibility of adversely affecting displays on display members or operation performed through control members provided on the face. Damage to a locking mechanism provided between the face and the casing may interfere with secure attachment of the face to the front surface of the casing.
The type where the face is reversed requires an extremely complicated mechanism for reversing the face at the front of the casing.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made with a view toward solving the problems described above, and it is an object thereof to provide an in-car electronic device with an anti-theft feature for protecting the electronic device from a thief by keeping a face absent from a front surface of a casing when not in use, without the need for detaching the face from the casing or reversing the face.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an in-car electronic device with an anti-theft feature in which a face can be automatically retracted to a position where the face is not seen on a front surface of the casing to thereby permit the face to be easily hidden.
To these ends, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an in-car electronic device with an anti-theft feature, including: a fixed front surface which is provided on a front surface of a casing incorporating an electronic circuit and mainly formed of a flat surface; a movable member which can be installed in a regular position to cover a front of the fixed front surface and a surface of which is provided with a control surface having a display member and/or a control member; and position changing means for moving the movable member between the regular position and a retracted position where the movable member is circularly moved by substantially 90 degrees from the regular position so as to be retracted in an opening, wherein an end surface of the movable member in the retracted position is substantially flush with the fixed front surface.
According to the present invention, when the in-car electronic device is not in use or during parking, the movable member that has been in the regular position is housed in the casing to hide it. At this time, mainly the flat surface is exposed on the front surface of the casing, and the opening in which the movable member has been placed is covered by an end surface of the movable member. With this arrangement, the movable member can be made to look as if it had been removed from the casing front surface, thus preventing the in-car electronic device from being stolen.
Preferably, an end portion of the movable member is provided with a protuberant portion that extends toward a front surface providing a control surface or toward a rear surface, and when the movable member moves toward the retracted position, the opening is closed by the end portion of the movable member after the display member and/or the control member passes by the opening.
The position changing means is driven by power of a motor driver, and the movable member can be automatically moved between the regular position and the retracted position by the power of the motor driver.
In a case wherein the position changing means is driven by the motor driver, the retracted position of the movable member can be immediately reached by operating a switch or the like of the control member provided on the movable member. When moving the movable member from the retracted position to the regular position, an arrangement may be made so that the switch is turned ON by, for example, manually pressing the end portion of the movable member or a cover exposed at the opening in a retracted state so as to start the motor driver to move the movable member from the retracted position to the regular position.
The position changing means is not limited to the one driven by the power of the motor driver. For instance, the movable member in the regular position may alternatively be circularly moved by hand to its retracted position, or a face in the retracted position may be pushed by hand to cause the face to project from the opening by a predetermined amount, then circularly moved to the regular position by hand.
As another alternative, the motor driver may be controlled so that the movable member is stopped in a state wherein the control surface is aslant in the middle of travel of the movable member from the regular position to the retracted position.
Making the movable member stop aslant causes the control surface of the movable member to be positioned aslant in a car, permitting easier operation through the control surface.
In the present invention, the movable member may circularly move, using one end thereof as a support point, frontward from the regular position to a horizontal position, then moved into the casing. Preferably, however, the movable member moves between the regular position and the retracted position as described below.
Preferably, when one direction along an arbitrary lateral edge of the fixed front surface is defined as a first side, and the other direction is defined as a second side, the opening is provided at a position closer to the first side in the fixed front surface, the movable member is controlled in its position by the position changing means so that an end portion thereof on the first side advances forward from the regular position and an end portion thereof on the second side circularly moves toward the first side, then the end portion on the second side is oriented toward the casing and entered into the opening to reach the retracted position.
For example, the first side is a bottom side, while the second side is a top side. As an alternative, the first side may be a right side (or a left side), while the second side may be the left side (or the right side). More specifically, the movable member circularly moves from a slanted position wherein the control surface faces upward to a substantially horizontal position and directly moves into the casing. Alternatively, the movable member circularly moves from the slanted position wherein the control surface faces rightward or leftward to a substantially lateral position and directly moves into the casing.
Preferably, the fixed front surface is provided with a secret control member for projecting the retracted movable member from the opening. More specifically, when the position of the movable member is changed by the power of the motor, an end surface of the movable member exposed from the opening may be pushed by hand to operate a switch. Alternatively, at least one motor start switch may be provided on the fixed front surface so as to start the operation for projecting the retracted movable member by operating the switch. In this case, if the switch is noticeable, then a stranger may press the switch to project the movable member. Hence, the switch should be a hidden switch that cannot be easily found on the fixed front surface.
In a preferred form, a password signal for authorizing display operation and/or control of the movable member is enabled to be entered using a control member provided on the control surface of the movable member, when the movable member is projected to an accessible position from the retracted position.
Employing the password signal system makes it possible to enhance the anti-theft effect because the electronic device cannot be set in an operable mode unless a stranger enters a proper password signal even if the stranger successfully shifts the movable member from the retracted position to the regular position.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an in-car electronic device including: a fixed front surface which is provided on a front surface of a casing having an electronic circuit therein and mainly formed of a flat surface; a movable member which can be installed in a regular position to cover a front of the fixed front surface and a surface of which is provided with a control surface having a display member and/or a control member; position changing means for moving the movable member between the regular position and a retracted position where the movable member is circularly moved by substantially 90 degrees from the regular position so as to be retracted in a opening; and a cover that covers the opening in the retracted position.
Using the cover enables the opening to be fully closed even if an opening width of the opening is set to be larger than a thickness of the movable member so as to permit the movable member and the control member and the display member provided on the movable member to be retracted with allowance so that they do not hit edges of the opening. The cover may be a shutter type that is provided on a rear side of the fixed front surface to release or close the opening, and the cover may alternatively be provided at a bottom edge of a face as shown in an embodiment. In this case, the face may be arranged such that the cover does not jut out toward the front of the face in the regular position, and the cover circularly moves to cover the opening when the face is retracted in the casing.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device including: a casing, a movable member provided with a display member and/or a control member; and position control means for moving the movable member between a retracted position wherein the movable member is retracted in the casing and a regular position wherein the movable member is oriented perpendicularly to the retracted position after the movable member is projected out of the casing, wherein the position control means is equipped with: a first support point and a second support point at which the movable member is supported laterally; a reciprocating member that is coupled to the first support point and moves forward and backward along the casing; a position changing member having one end thereof coupled to the second support point and the other end thereof provided with a control support point engaging the reciprocating member; a switching member having a retracted position guiding portion that guides the control support point toward a rear of the casing to move the movable member to the retracted position when the reciprocating member recedes from an advanced position, a regular position guiding portion that restricts a backward movement of the control support point to allow the movable member to move to the regular position when the reciprocating member recedes from the advanced position, and a switching portion that switches between the retracted position guiding portion and the regular position guiding portion; and a selecting member for selecting whether the control support point should be led to the retracted position guiding portion or the regular position guiding portion when the reciprocating member recedes from the advanced position.
In the present invention, in the series of operations of moving the reciprocating member forward and backward, the movable member can be set in the retracted position or the regular position simply by switching a path of control position. This arrangement permits a series of smooth operations of the movable member and also permits the operations to be quickly completed. Moreover, the use of the selecting member makes it possible to securely switch between the retracted position and the regular position. Preferably, the forward and backward travels of the reciprocating member are implemented in succession. Alternatively, however, the reciprocating member may start the backward travel after a brief stop following the forward travel.
The selecting member is set at a restricting position where it blocks the retracted position guiding portion to restrain the control support point from moving back into the retracted position guiding portion when the control support point moves from the retracted position to a front end of the retracted position guiding portion, and at a restriction release position where the selecting member clears the foregoing restriction so as to allow the control support point to enter the retracted position guiding portion when the reciprocating member travels backward from the regular position.
By operating the selecting member as described above, the movement of the movable member can be securely switched. A power source, such as a solenoid device or motor, may be used to move the selecting member to the restricting position and the restriction release position. A mechanism for this purpose can be extremely simplified by configuring the mechanism as described below.
For instance, the following arrangement is possible. More specifically, the selecting member is urged toward the restricting position by an urging member. When the movable member shifts to the regular position, a moving force of the control support point toward the regular position guiding portion causes the selecting member to be slightly locked in the restriction release position. When the movable member shifts to the retracted position, the moving force of the control support point traveling away from the retracted position guiding portion releases the slight lock.
It is assumed that the reciprocating member is provided with a guiding section where the control support point moves. The guiding section is equipped with a linear guiding portion extending longitudinally, a slant guiding portion that leads the control support point to the retracted position guiding portion when the reciprocating member advances, and another slant guiding portion that leads the control support point to the regular position guiding portion when the reciprocating member recedes.
When the retracted position guiding portion and the regular position guiding portion are formed in a V shape via a dividing point, the control support point can be securely guided to the retracted position guiding portion and the regular position guiding portion by using the selecting member alone. However, when the retracted position guiding portion and the regular position guiding portion are disposed in parallel and the dividing path is formed at right angles to the two guiding portions, with the guiding section formed substantially like a U shape as in the case of the embodiment, it is difficult to securely guide the control support point to the retracted position guiding portion and the regular position guiding portion by the selecting member alone. To overcome this difficulty, the slant guiding portions are provided on the reciprocating member. With this arrangement, the control point can be reliably led to the retracted position guiding portion and the regular position guiding portion laid out in the U shape as mentioned above.
Preferably, the reciprocating member is moved forward and backward by the power of the motor driver so as to automatically move the movable member between the regular position and the retracted position. Alternatively, however, the movable member may be manually moved between the retracted position and the regular position.
In a preferred form, when one direction along an arbitrary lateral edge of a front panel provided on the front surface of the casing is defined as a first side, and the other direction is defined as a second side, the opening is provided at a position closer to the first side in the front panel, the first support point is provided at the first side of the movable member, while the second support point is provided at a position closer to the second side away from the first support point, the regular position guiding portion of the switching member is provided at a position closer to the second side away from the retracted position guiding portion, and an end portion of the movable member on the first side advances and an end portion thereof on the second side circularly moves to approach the first side when the reciprocating member advances from the regular position, then the end portion on the second side enters the opening first and reaches the retracted position when the reciprocating member recedes.
For example, the first side is a bottom side, while the second side is a top side. Alternatively, the first side may be a right side (or a left side), while the second side may be the left side (or the right side). More specifically, the movable member circularly moves from a slanted position wherein the control surface faces upward to a substantially horizontal position and directly moves into the casing. Alternatively, the movable member circularly moves from the slanted position wherein the control surface faces rightward or leftward to a substantially lateral position and directly moves into the casing.
Furthermore, the regular position guiding portion extends toward the rear beyond the dividing portion and in parallel to the retracted position guiding portion, being shorter than the retracted position guiding portion. As the reciprocating member advances when the movable member is in the regular position, the control support point advances in the regular position guiding portion. At this time, the movable member moves forward in parallel, then when the reciprocating member recedes, the control support point shifts via the dividing portion to the retracted position guiding portion. Thus, the movable member is oriented substantially perpendicularly to the front surface of the front panel and placed in the casing.
With this arrangement, the movable member moves in parallel without inclining forward from the regular position, then starts circular movement in which the end portion on the first side of the movable member moves forward and the end portion on the second side approaches the first side. This enables the movable member to securely move circularly at the front, and even if the panel front face has protuberances, such as knobs, the movable member does not come into contact with the protuberances when it circularly moves.
If the regular position guiding portion is not extended toward the rear beyond the dividing portion, and the regular position guiding portion and the retracted position guiding portion are formed to be a V shape via the dividing portion, then the movable member does not move forward in parallel. Instead, the advancing motion of the reciprocating member causes the movable member to immediately start its circular motion.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device provided with: a casing, a movable member equipped with a display member and/or a control member, and position control means for moving the movable member between a retracted position wherein the movable member is accommodated in the casing and a regular position wherein the movable member is oriented perpendicularly to the retracted position or inclined at a predetermined angle after the movable member projects out of the casing, wherein the position control means is provided with: a motor driver; a first support point and a second support point at which the movable member is supported laterally; a reciprocating member that is coupled to the first support point and moves forward and backward along the casing; a motion converting means for causing the reciprocating member to move forward and backward once by a rotational power of the motor driver in a first direction, and also causing the reciprocating member to move forward and backward once by the rotational power of the motor driver in a second direction; and switching means for switching a moving path of the second support point so that the movable member in the regular position is circularly moved to the retracted position when the reciprocating member is moved forward and backward once by the revolution of the motor driver in the first direction, and that the movable member in the retracted position is projected out of the casing and further circularly moved into the regular position when the reciprocating member is moved forward and backward once by the revolution of the motor driver in the second direction.
The present invention can be applied to an in-car display unit in which a movable member equipped with a display member, such as a liquid crystal TV screen, is extended from a position, where the movable member has been accommodated in a casing, out to the front of the casing and further circularly moved to a vertical position or a slant position for viewing the screen. The present invention can be also applied to an in-car electronic device or an electronic device for home or office use with an anti-thief feature in which a face having control members installed at the front of a casing is accommodated in the casing as described in an embodiment.
In the present invention, the reciprocating member is moved forward and backward once by the rotational power of the motor driver in the first direction, or moved forward and backward once by the rotational power of the motor driver in the second direction, respectively, so as to shift the movable member from the regular position to the retracted position, or from the retracted position to the regular position. Thus, the use of the motion converting means for converting the circular motion into the reciprocating motion makes it possible to configure the mechanism in a limited space in the casing.
Moreover, the reciprocating member makes one reciprocating travel simply by driving the motor driver in one direction while the movable member moves from the retracted position to the regular position or from the regular position to the retracted position. This arrangement eliminates the need for stopping or reversing the motor when the reciprocating member moves forward or backward, permitting easier control of the motor driver.
Furthermore, in the series of the operations for moving the reciprocating member forward and backward, the movable member can be set in the retracted position or the regular position simply by switching the path of a control position. With this arrangement, a series of smooth motions of the movable member can be achieved and the motions can be finished more quickly.
The motion switching means can be constituted by a rotating member rotatably driven in one direction by a rotational power in the first direction of the motor driver and in the other direction by the rotational power in the second direction, and a sliding member that slides a drive cam portion provided on either the reciprocating member or the rotating member against the driving cam portion provided on the other to thereby reciprocate the reciprocating member.
For instance, the reciprocating member can be reciprocated by providing the rotating member with the sliding member and the reciprocating member with a driving cam portion that extends linearly in a direction orthogonal with respect to a moving direction. This arrangement allows the motion converting means to be easily constructed. Alternatively, the reciprocating member is provided with the sliding member, and the rotating member is provided with a driving cam portion, such as a cam groove, to constitute the motion converting means.
Preferably, the forward and backward travels of the reciprocating member are implemented in succession. Alternatively, however, the reciprocating member may start the backward travel after a brief stop following the forward travel.
The switching means is provided, for example, with: a control support point provided on a position changing member rotatably coupled to the second support point; a switching member having a retracted position guiding portion that guides the control support point toward a rear of the casing to move the movable member to the retracted position when the reciprocating member moves backward from an advanced position, a regular position guiding portion that restricts a backward movement of the control support point to allow the movable member to move to the regular position when the reciprocating member moves backward from the advanced position, and a dividing member having a dividing portion that switches between the retracted position guiding portion and the regular position guiding portion; and a selecting member for selecting whether the control support point should be led to the retracted position guiding portion or the regular position guiding portion when the reciprocating member recedes from the advanced position.
In the foregoing means, the selecting member is employed to switch the moving path of the control support point between the regular position guiding portion and the retracted position guiding portion. With this arrangement, the movable member can be securely shifted to the regular position or the retracted position.
Furthermore, the movable member can be stopped at an arbitrary orientation outside the casing by stopping the motor driver in the middle of a reciprocating travel of the reciprocating member when the motor driver rotates in the first direction, or in the middle of a reciprocating travel of the reciprocating member when the motor driver rotates in the second direction.
Thus, by making the arrangement so that the movable member can be stopped at an arbitrary orientation outside the casing by stopping the power of the motor driver in the middle of a travel of the movable member, the movable member can be stopped at an easy-to-see and easy-to-operate orientation.
In addition, when one direction along an arbitrary lateral edge of a front panel of the casing is defined as a first side, and the other direction is defined as a second side, the opening is provided at a position closer to the first side in the front panel, the first support point is provided at the first side of the movable member, while the second support point is provided at a position closer to the second side away from the first support point, the regular position guiding portion of the switching member is provided at the second side away from the retracted position guiding portion, and it is possible to make an arrangement so that an end portion of the movable member on the first side advances forward and an end portion thereof on the second side circularly moves toward the first side when the reciprocating member advances from the regular position, then the end portion on the second side enters the opening first when the movable member is set in the retracted position when the reciprocating member recedes.